1. Field of the Invention
The present invention relates to an image inputting apparatus for reading an image of an original and more specifically to an image inputting apparatus fitted with an original feeder for automatically feeding the original to a reader section.
2. Description of the Related Art
Some image inputting apparatus such as a scanner for optically reading an image of an original to transform it into digital image data is fitted with an automatic original feeder called an ADF (Auto-Document Feeder) (hereinafter referred to as an original feeder) to continuously read originals.
Lately, an original feeder whose operation is fast (especially which rises quickly in starting it) and accurate, whose operating speed can be set freely and which hardly clogs originals have come to be developed. Accordingly, it has become possible to perform complex original feeding operations by changing the operating methods.
Still more, because the price of fast color printers has become low lately and there often arise cases of printing a large volume of color documents, a need for inputting a large volume of color originals, i.e., the raw material of the print output, quickly without resorting to man-power is increasing and the importance of the original feeder in the image inputting apparatus is increasing more and more.
Various processing parameters may be specified for the reading process to obtain a desired image in the image inputting apparatus. The specification of the processing parameters is important especially in reading a color original whose tint and others are questioned.
The conventional image inputting apparatus fitted with the original feeder is generally provided with two modes of reading an original manually placed on a platen (original table) and of continuously reading all of originals placed on the original feeder.
TWAIN (a protocol group showing a general procedure of an image input control method from an image reader such as scanner. Named from a working group who created it) has been well known as a protocol used in controlling the image inputting apparatus from an external control unit such as a personal computer in DTP (desk-top publishing). A procedure for controlling a typical image inputting process using a standard image editing software conforming to the general protocol such as TWAIN will be explained below briefly.
In case of the mode of replacing originals on the platen manually without using any original feeder, the user sets the originals on the platen and instructs to carry out pre-scan in rough resolution at first. As a result, the obtained image is displayed on a screen. Next, the user specifies an area of a desirable image (referred to as a cut-out area hereinbelow) on the screen display and instructs to carry out main scan (high-resolution scan). The result of the main scan is also displayed on the screen. When the area displayed as the result of the main scan is not the desired area, the user sets the cut-out area again on the pre-scan image and carries out main scan again. When it is the desired area, the user adjusts various processing parameters such as the density and tint of the image by making reference to the screen display showing the result of the main scan and instructs to carry out main scan again. Then, the user repeats the adjustment of the parameters and the process of the main scan until when the desired image is obtained. When the user obtains the desired image, the user ends the process by storing the image in a desirable memory. The above-mentioned processes are repeated while manually replacing the originals on the platen one by one in the process not using the original feeder.
In case of the mode of utilizing the original feeder, the user must take out one original (e.g., the top page) among a series of originals to be read to set on the platen for example at first and decide various processing parameters such as the cut-out area, density and tint by the same method with the mode of manually placing originals. When the user decides the processing parameters, the user sets all of the originals on the original feeder and instructs to carry out main scan. Then, the originals are fed one by one from the original feeder to the platen, are read in accordance to the processing parameters and are stored in a predetermined memory.
Thus, the conventional protocol for controlling the image inputting apparatus has speculated only the mode of reading all of the originals placed on the feeder continuously under the same processing parameters such as the cut-out area and tint in using the original feeder and the conventional image inputting apparatus has allowed the original feeder to be utilized only in such mode. Therefore, the original feeder could not be utilized for the purpose of reading the originals by changing the processing parameters per original or of reading the same original by plural times by changing the processing parameters and the originals had to be replaced manually one by one.
In view of the late circumstances that the use of the image inputting apparatus on a network has become common and an amount of originals to be read has increased remarkably, such conventional image inputting apparatus has been problematic in terms of productivity.
Further, while there has been an image inputting apparatus supporting a function of reading originals on the original feeder by feeding them to a platen one by one, not reading them all continuously, the original is fed in connection with a reading process and the next original is fed automatically when the original on the platen is read because the conventional image inputting apparatus has been configured to feed the original as its image is read corresponding to an image reading command from an external control unit and the image reading operation cannot be separated from the original feeding operation. Accordingly, it has had a problem that the same original cannot be read repeatedly by a desired number of times in using the original feeder.
There has been an image inputting apparatus disclosed in Japanese Patent Laid-Open No. Hei. 9-102853 for example as a concrete example of the conventional image inputting apparatus fitted with an original feeder. This apparatus pre-scans all originals set on the original feeder continuously and displays the result of the pre-scan on a screen. Then, when the user selects a desirable page in the display of the result of the pre-scan upon setting the same original on the original feeder again, the apparatus simply feeds pages other than the selected page without reading them and reads only the selected page at high-resolution. However, this apparatus has required all of the originals to be set again on the original feeder after the pre-scan to carry out the main scan and has been inconvenient to use from a remote place. This apparatus has not been also supposed to read the same page plural times by changing processing parameters and others by utilizing the original feeder.
There has been also an apparatus disclosed in Japanese Patent Laid-Open No. 61-23163 as another example. This apparatus has been able to read only an original to be inputted which is specified by its page No. from the outside and to maintain the original page order even after ending the reading. However, this apparatus has required to examine the originals in advance to find the location of the intended original. This apparatus has not been also supposed to read the same page set on the original feeder plural times.